*Official* Optoma HD20 Thread - Page 117

I believe there maybe 2 fans inside the HD20,and I am assuming the following:-

First switch on the colour wheel spins straight away, not really audible.
Then you hear the lamp strike

Then the exhaust fan starts and after a short while I think the another fan starts both at Bright Mode level

then after another short while the fans drop to their normal eco mode speed.

Its that sequence I would just like to hear.

If I can here the lamp strike I can use that as a reference, assuming that the recording device does not have AVC.

Re Dave

I know many people have opened up there HD20's, so maybe one of them can comment on the number of fans?

So what is this all about? Are you having issues with your HD20? And how does comparing the audio of one HD20 help? I don't have a recording device that would give decent audio.

Mine is just making a particular noise, it maybe normal but before I send it back I would like to compare

Last time I have to make a quick recording I used my Panasonic FZ Bridge camera and just extractged the audio, sounded quite good. Alas I dont have the camara at present.

Re Dave

I will see if I can find a way to get a recording sometime this week or weekend. I use mine in low bulb mode, so the fan is always on low except for the shutdown and maybe on start up. But after it's fully on, I can't really hear it sitting on the sofa. I have sensitive hearing and yes, I can hear it, but very very faintly. And as soon as I turn on something less like the PS3 or xbox 360, those fans are way louder. So I am a little surprised you can hear the fan enough to have complaints on the type of sound it is making. But I will see what I can do about coming up with a recording of it starting up.

I have some color non-uniformity in mine since I got it (refurb) it's not bad and I only notice it on an all white background. The color from left shifts pink, then green a bit, This has to be optical or bulb related, right? It can't be the DMD or electronic, right? Can this be fixed by replacing the bulb? Anybody else have and or fixed this issue?

This is normal. The variation is very very slight. This would be the white uniformity. Brightness uniformity is different, but is also never perfect. Though I have certainly seen other projectors with better white uniformity.

So unfortunately there is nothing you can do. Now if you can see this with moving color video and it's under warranty, you may want to send it in or return it. It is purely an optics variation. But it's possibly your optics are are out of spec. But if it's the same slight color variation on an all white image like everyone else, then it's likely not out of spec.

Another "normal" build quality issue is the lens assembly wobbles with some play. Enough that if you shift the lens around, it actually moves the image around by a good inch or so.

I am thinking of picking up a refurb or used HD20 for my first media room. Does anybody have any suggestions about this projector or any other around the same price? My room is about 14ft long, and I dont care about 3d yet. Anybody have any recommendations for a projector first timer?

So I just had to send my Hd20 back to have serviced for the 2nd time, less than a year after they replaced the mainboard for the color distortions unless the fan was on high altitude. I religiously clean my projector, every two weeks with a can of compressed air. Not too pleased at the moment.

I had this issue after changing the color wheel. I fixed it by cleaning the color wheel sensor. Might want to try that next time.

If you don't care about 3D and would like 1080p. In any case I personally prefer DLP projectors. I won't get into that debate here.

The HD20, HD180, and HD23 are all basically the same projector. I would stick with the HD20 and HD180, as I am not very familiar with the HD23 overall. There is not a ton of options at the sub $1000 level for 1080p.

If you use Projector Central's Search by Feature page. There are only 7 projectors listed for 1080p in the $700-1000 range.

4 are given very high ratings and recommendations by Projector Central. You will likely be happy with any of those. Only 1 of those 7, is LCD instead of DLP. But that LCD one is likely a great unit as well.

My recommendation to you would most be to read their reviews on the 4 highly rated unit and pick one. And if those review just make it harder, then simply see if Costco has the HD180 and get that.

Here is the link for the search I mentioned.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/proj...sort=pop&sz=15

Thank you xenon2000, I think I am going to try to pick up a HD20 refurb, looks like the best deal so far. I appreciate your link.

I'll put my two cents in on DLP - I just sold my HD20 to another member on here, because I recently upgraded to a 3-LCD 3D projector. The DLP HD20 definitely had a sharper image than my new projector does, even though the new one cost almost 3 times the price. The single chip DLP display definitely has the advantage; there will always be slight convergence issues to deal with in a 3-LCD projector. The new projector has way darker blacks than the HD20, but the black levels of the DLP did not bother me, and were certainly very acceptable to me. I was somewhat sad to sell the HD20 - I'll miss that super-sharp image - but I know the new owner will get a lot of great use out of it!

EDIT: LOL, please ignore the free advertising link to The Sh*rper Image in my text above... I did not buy my HD20 there...

I really appreciate the input. I can help the black levels by using a grey lower gain screen correct? I also remember hearing some people put filters on their units to help these levels as well. I am on the hunt for a good deal on an hd20.

I use my HD20 on low with an ND2 glass filter. Personally, I don't think the ND2 filter is worth it with a 1.0 gain white screen. When you hand hold the filter and take it on and off was you compare, it seems worth it. Because your eyes haven't adjusted. But a few minutes with the ND2 and the blacks look the same to me. So I am not sure why the 1000 lumen HD70 blacks were so much better for me vs the HD20 if the perception should be about the same.

While I still have the ND2 filter up there. I plan on taking it down soon. Though I think a grey screen will have a better result. So if that is an option, I would go that route. But I would try to test if you can. Last time I tried a grey screen was with my HD70 and the lower 1000 lumen output was too low for grey for my taste. But might be a good match for the HD20, HD23, HD180.

Does anyone have this HD20 with a grey screen? If so, which one? I can't find anything in my price range (350-600), only CineGrey Elite 120 but that's the same material as the MattWhite, just paying 130 bucks extra for that than Sable for some special frame. Anyone know of anything else? And is it worth it? (going through all this trouble to have a grey screen over white).

Might want to check out the Monoprice screens those should be in your price range. My friend just bought one and it's really nice. There is a thread on here about them.

I did a OTS grey screen that looks fantastic.

New user here. I have a research funding expiring tomorrow and I'm thinking of using the funds to buy a projector for research presentations. Basically I came upon this projector after searching 1080p projector on Amazon where it's $826. Is this a good buy or is there a better value for the price? Not looking for anything fancy, just something that will last a few years and has good picture clarify to present fairly detailed charts, graphs, images of cells, etc.

I'm canadian, they don't ship here...



OTS?

That is a good price for a new unit. This will work well for multimedia, I use it with my computer almost exclusively.

They do ship to Canada, I've ordered before.

OTS - off the shelf diy painted screen.

As tighr has said, good value and good projector. The only thing I would point out is that it's a home theater "cinema" projector and not a presentation projector. The main factor being brightness. While the HD20 will work with some ambient light, a PJ with 3500-4000 lumens is much better suited for medium lit rooms where you might do presentations. If you don't mind presenting in the dark, the HD20 should be fine for you.

Not to threadjack but you should consider the Viewsonic pro8200. About the same price, 1080p but brighter. Has more offset, which might be better, might not.

I would like to point out that 2000 vs 1700 lumens is a tiny difference in brightness and still puts the Pro8200 in the home cinema category. I would still recommend at least 2500 as the ultra bare minimum brightness for any ambient light presentations. We have a 2700 Lumen DLP at work and even in a medium lit room it's barely bright enough at a fairly small 90-100" screen size.

I know you are just looking for something quick and cheap to buy to use your budget. But the more brightness you can get for your money, the happier you will be for presentations with some light. If the presentations will mainly be in near "no light" setting, then the Pro8200 and HD20 are both fine for the task.

Hey there,

Thanks for the wonderful and informative thread. I was experiencing the green flickering color wheel issues that many have described in this thread, and so undertook the cleaning linked above.

Unfortunately, the plastic on the tiny ribbon cable between the top and body of the unit came completely apart when I tried to loosen the cable. (I was extremely gentle, and think it must have simply been weakened by heat or something) Regardless, my projector will no longer start up.

I have a solid amber power light. Pressing the power button causes power to flash green three times (no sound of fan or indication of lamp lighting) and then return to amber.

I believe I have the ribbon cable solidly reconnected, but with those tiny connectors it's impossible to be sure. I still have my remote, and would personally be happy to simply disable the top controls.

Is there anything I can do to recover my projector?

Thanks!

Actually both projectorcentral and projectorreviews measured about 1000-1100 lumens in brightest mode on the optimal. That's not a knock, since it had an optimal output in cinema mode for a theater setting. The pro8200 put out nearly 1600 lumens in brightest mode. Part of the reason is the 7 segment wheel. RGBRYCG. That's 50% brighter.

1600 Lumens at the screen is still too low for a great presentation projector. But yes, if the only options are the Pro8200 and HD20, the Pro8200 would be better for presentations.

So I was messing with the focus on my projector last night. If I go one way with the focus I get red and blue bleed around white like the convergence is off which shouldn't happen since it's got a single chip I would think. If I go the other way with the focus I get a green out line around the white letters. Is this normal? Thanks

So... my projector is still out of commission. Everything I read online seems to indicate the issue is related to the mainboard. The projector is out of warranty. Does anyone know how hard it would be to replace the mainboard or where I could even get a replacement mainboard? Barring that, does anyone know any good reputable projector repair places in Ohio or online? I tried requesting a quote from an online place called projectorrepair.com, but never got a reply... Thanks for any advice.

You are correct that single chip DLP does not have convergence issues. The optical anomaly you are speaking of is CA (chromatic aberration).

Quote "[CA] is a type of distortion in which there is a failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same convergence point." ~wiki

This affects even ultra high quality optics in cameras. Generally the wider then aperature, the worse it becomes.

This is also what causes "fringing" around fine high-contrast items such as white text on a dark background. The CA is generally more as you go out from the center of the lens.

But, you can't do anything about it. It's the optics. Though I don't notice it with my HTPC, gaming, or watching movies. As long as the background isn't one solid color, it shouldn't be noticeable at any decent seating distance. If you are 1:1 from the screen or further, you should be fine with the text and the color uniformity should only be apparent with a solid light colored background.

The HD20 does have (or at least mine does) a loose optic assembly where I can actually shift the image around by about an inch if I "wobble" or move the focus ring. But not actually twist the ring. You might be able to get better centering to reduce the CA. But generally it doesn't for me.